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Tuesday, October 6, 2026

The File

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Justice Department · Tuesday, October 6, 2026

Irvine woman arrested at LAX, charged with spying on a Taiwanese official’s family for China

The File desk · Oct 6, 2026, 10:46 AM UTC

Status

Confirmed as an arrest and a charge, from the Justice Department’s Oct. 5 release. The conduct is alleged. A criminal complaint is only an allegation. Zhang is presumed innocent.

  • Confirmed

    The department said agents arrested Wanying Zhang, 34, also known as Heather Zhang, of Irvine, California, on Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport before a flight to China.

  • Confirmed

    The complaint charges her with acting in the United States as an

    of the Chinese government. The release cites no statute section. If convicted, the stated maximum is 10 years.

Federal agents arrested Wanying Zhang, 34, also known as Heather Zhang, of Irvine, California, on Sunday at Los Angeles International Airport, before a planned flight to China. A criminal complaint charges her with acting in the United States as an

of the Chinese government. Prosecutors say Chinese officials tasked her in June 2025 to watch relatives of a high-ranking Taiwanese official who live in the Pacific Northwest. They say she flew there that September, watched the family’s home, and messaged a Chinese official: “Saw him, young male, it’s the young one.” She faces up to 10 years if convicted. The charge is an allegation. She is presumed innocent.

The complaint alleges the conduct ran from June 2025 to September 2025. The release says she flew from John Wayne Airport in Orange County to Las Vegas on Aug. 29, 2025, and from Las Vegas to the Pacific Northwest on Sept. 1. She texted “Boarding now” with a photo of a boarding pass, said “I am videorecording,” and sent license plates of two cars parked at the home.

The release does not name the Taiwanese official or the relatives. This story does not guess.

She was expected to make a first appearance Monday afternoon in federal court in Los Angeles. The outcome of that hearing is not on the release.

The FBI’s Los Angeles field office is investigating. The case is prosecuted by the National Security Division’s Counterintelligence and Export Control Section and by the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the Central District of California. The release names Assistant U.S. Attorneys Amanda B. Elbogen and Colin S. Scott.

The department’s line, printed on the release: “A criminal complaint is merely an allegation.” Zhang is presumed innocent until proven guilty.

What is still unknown or disputed

Primary sources

Every claim in this story is drawn from the documents below. If a fetch failed, that is recorded on the card.

  1. Source 1

    California Woman Arrested on Charges Alleging She Acted as Agent of China and Spied on Relatives of U.S. Based High-Ranking Taiwanese Government Official

    U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Public Affairs · October 5, 2026

    Zhang was arrested prior to her planned departure from Los Angeles International Airport, where she planned to board a flight to China.

    https://www.justice.gov/opa/pr/california-woman-arrested-charges-alleging-she-acted-agent-china-and-spied-relatives-us